The Fiction We Live
by Insanity 101
Summary: Inspired by The Broken Seal. Sakura disobeys Kakashi. It's the only reason she was able to say goodbye. Oneshot, slight SasukeXSakura. Dedicated to my buddy Sadista.


**Um…hi. New category for me…and I'm not entirely sure why I'm writing this, but…you never know til you try it, right? Ahem. This is loosely based off the episode called The Broken Seal. It's the one where Sasuke kicks the bucket. I guess he might have done it more than once, but…I'm following the show through cartoon network, so it's the most recent episode for me. This is more or less a rewrite of the end of it. This little…um, thing is dedicated to Sadista, the only Naruto junkie that I know; hopefully she enjoys it. So…um…on with the story? Oh and uh, forgive my spelling when it comes to the names. I'm a beginner, what can I say?

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_I break in two for you  
__I break in two, and each piece of me dies  
__Only you can give the breath of life  
__But you don't see me  
__You don't…_

_-Autumn's Monologue, by From Autumn to Ashes

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"Sakura! Stay with the bridge-builder!"

She heard Kakashi Sensei's shout distantly, as it echoed in her ears and rebounded sluggishly. The fog seemed to be inside as well as out. Biting her lip furiously, her eyes darted from the care-worn face of the bridge-builder to the distant outline of her sensei, and then, inevitably, they were drawn towards the dome of ice mirrors. In the center of that dome, Sasuke and Naruto were battling Haku… Her hands balled into fists as a horrible image flashed before her eyes—Sasuke, curled up on the ground with a thin, crimson line of blood trickling down from the corner of his mouth. _"Sakura…help me…"_

Her mouth set in sudden determination, though the decision she had just made nearly tore herapart. Which was worse? Disobeying a direct order from her sensei, or leaving her friends to injury and possible— She knew the answer. Kakashi had told her never to give up her friends…the team was everything, that's what he had taught them. She was _not _going to desert her team.

The bridge-builder nodded, a quick glance at her face telling him all he needed to know. He shoved her away, mouthing a gruff, "Go." She hesitated for only a moment, before tearing towards the glittering dome of ice.

Sakura had no sooner approached it then the entire frame of it began to shudder, each mirror vibrating as though experiencing some struggle within its icy depths… One by one, the mirrors fell, shattering on the rocky earth and melting away into nothing, leaving behind no trace of their existence. When each mirror had fallen, the scene within them was at last revealed.

Ninja instinct compelled Sakura to first search out the enemy. The effort was futile, however. Haku was nowhere to be seen, as though she had shimmered away with her enchanted mirrors. Abandoning thoughts of her, Sakura's aqua eyes were immediately drawn to theshaking form of her friend. Ice shot up her spine and curled around her chest as her eyes grew wide, the pupils dilated in fear. _No…_

Naruto was sobbing low in his throat, the tears punctuated by a growl as his body shuddered, eyes squeezed shut. "No, you idiot! You stupid, stupid idiot! You don't get to die, do you hear me? So don't even think about it!" He gave Sasuke's shoulder a half-hearted shake, wiping fiercely at his eyes with his free hand.

Sasuke's reply was so quiet and hoarse that Sakura could barely hear it. "My head…h-hurts enough without…without you…s-screaming in my ear." He winced slightly, black eyes clouded into a smoky gray as blood trickled down his cheek and forehead, joining with the river originating in the corner of his mouth. "Save your breath."

_Move!_ Sakura forced herself to take a step towards them, then another…her limbs were stiff as though with cold or disuse as a haze of disbelief swirled in her mind. This could only be a dream…or better yet, a trick of the enemy. Yes, that was it…Haku was just trying to weaken their…defenses… She knew it wasn't true.

Naruto at last noticed her presence. Hastily wiping the tears from his face, he stared at her with an expression of complete helplessness. His eyes were asking for help in a way his mouth had never been capable of. Somehow, he believed that Sakura could make everything right again. The burden of his faith and trust weighed heavily upon her clouded mind. "Sakura…"

She couldn't breathe. The air turned to mud in her lungs, blocking and constricting until her chest burned with the need for oxygen. She fell to her knees beside them, and found herself speaking without meaning to. "That's a nasty cut but we'll have it fixed up here in just a second nothing to worry about I'm sure Sasuke will be fine though he really should be more cautious Naruto what are you staring at he's going to be fine." The last word was choked and half dead by the time it made it out of her mouth as she busily ripped at her clothes, tearing off long strips of cloth, though she had no idea what she intended to do with them. She would have to pull out the needles before wrapping anything, and the sheer amount of them made that impossible. Sakura did her best to ignore the way his breathing had slowed, and the way his chest rose and fell weakly. She would fix him up in no time, because there was no other fathomable outcome. Nothing but his recovery was possible…in her mind, at least.

All medical plans left her thoughts in a flash as Sasuke coughed once, then choked out a sentence in short bursts. "So y…you're ok…then."

"Me?" she whispered, eyes wide in shock.

"You screamed," said Naruto, his voice shaking slightly. "We thought Zabuza must have got you."

She hardly even heard him, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Sasuke. This was just about the first true acknowledgement she had received from him…it set her mind to racing with hopeful thoughts, the present momentarily forgotten. "You were—"

"So you're…f-fine?" His chest heaved for a moment, sending a tremor through his weakened body as the haze over his eyes thickened. He didn't wait for a response.In a hushed whisper,the last surviving member of the Uchiha Clanfought for one last word. "Good." Smoky eyes drooped shut, fluttered once, then resignedly closed.

"Sasuke!" Naruto's scream rang through Sakura's head as he crawled towards his friend, wringing his hands and growling desperately, tears beginning to leak from bright blue eyes. "No, No, No! Sasuke!"

The dark-haired boy shifted ever so slightly, his blue lips moving but producing no sound. He cringed, his face distorted for a moment in pain…then, his body relaxed. All resistance drained from his limbs, at one with the crimson pool of blood around him. His breathing stopped. His heart soon followed.

And there was nothing Sakura could do to stop it.

The young ninja was deaf to the anguished cries of her friend, unaware of the hands pushing and pulling at her, oblivious to everything. Her aqua eyes could only stare blankly at the broken shell of her world.

And it was real.

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_I break in two for you_  
_I break in two, and if a piece of you dies  
__Autumn, I will bring you back to life  
__Of course I see you  
__I do_

_-The Fiction We Live, by From Autumn to Ashes

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**Yes, it was short. The characters might well have been ooc, since I've only seen the first seven or eight episodes. As the summary says, this is a one-shot. About the song...the first is sung by a girl, the second is the boy's response...You should listen to it, it really fits Sakura and Sasuke. Whether I write more in this category depends on your reaction, I suppose. -Dusty**


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